We must continue to deepen our ties to the Americas and the Caribbean, our common work to educate children, fight drugs, strengthen democracy and increase trade.  In this hemisphere, every government but one is freely chosen by its people.  We are determined that Cuba, too, will know the blessings of liberty.

The American people have opened their arms and their hearts and their arms to our Central American and Caribbean neighbors who have been so devastated by the recent hurricanes.  Working with Congress, I am committed to help them rebuild.

When the first lady and Tipper Gore visited the region, they saw thousands of our troops and thousands of American volunteers.  In the Dominican Republic, Hillary helped to rededicate a hospital that had been rebuilt by Dominicans and Americans working side by side.  With her was some one else who has been very important to the relief efforts.  You know sports records are made and sooner or later, they’re broken.  But making other people’s lives better and showing our children the true meaning of brotherhood, that lasts forever.  So for far more than baseball, Sammy Sosa, you’re a hero in two countries tonight.  Thank you.

So I say to all of you, if we do these things, if we pursue peace, fight terrorism, increase our strength, renew our alliances, we will begin to meet our generation’s historic responsibility to build a stronger 21st century America in a freer, more peaceful world.

As the world has changed, so have our own communities.  We must make the safer, more livable, and more united.  This year, we will reach our goal of 100,000 community police officers ahead of schedule and under budget.

The Brady Bill has stopped a quarter million felons, fugitives, and stalkers from buying handguns and now, the murder rate is the lowest in 30 years, and the crime rate has dropped for six straight years.

Tonight, I propose a 21st Century Crime Bill to deploy the latest technologies and tactics to make our communities even safer.  Our balanced budget will help put up to 50,000 more police on the street in the areas hardest hit by crime, and then to equip them with new tools from crime-mapping computers to digital mug shots.  We must break the deadly cycle of drugs and crime.

Our budget expands support for drug testing and treatment, saying to prisoners, “If you stay on drugs, you have to stay behind bars.”  And to those on parole, “If you want to keep your freedom, you must stay free of drugs.”

I ask Congress to restore the five-day waiting period for buying a handgun and extend the Brady Bill to prevent juveniles who commit violent crimes from buying a gun.

We must do more to keep our schools the safest places in our communities.  Last year, every American was horrified and heartbroken by the tragic killings in Jonesboro, Paducah, Pearl, Edinboro, Springfield.  We were deeply moved by the courageous parents now working to keep guns out of the hands of children and to make other efforts so that other parents don’t have to live through their loss.